#WeAreTheChurch September/October 2020
ST. MARK’S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH 210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
Hopefully you have or soon will have one of our whimsical yard signs that will remind us and our neighbors that #WeAreTheChurch.We have some wonderful formation offerings that are online in the coming months. I am happy to say we will be offering the Episcopal curriculum, Sacred Ground, which will be an opportunity by Zoom for small groups to study racism and the role of faith in encouraging this important dialogue. We will continue to offer the daily offices Monday through Friday, and our weekly bible studies. There will be Sunday adult formation, using The Way of Love, to look at central Christian practices. Our children and youth will have new and creative ways to interact. Make sure to check out the Children’s page of the website that has all kinds of wonderful content, including story time with Ms. Cathy! Meredith is developing some creative curriculum as well as offering regular check-ins with Youth Group in informal settings.
FROM THE RECTOR
These are strange times by any measure, and yet the faithfulness of our community remains apparent. We had been talking about new ways to be community long before the scaffolding fell or the onset of COVID-19. These events, of course, have pushed us to adapt more quickly and be willing to try new things in new ways on a daily basis. I’m so grateful for you and our staff, who are making these things possible. In these pages you’ll see the ways in which we plan to be the church in the coming months. There is a wonderful balance of new offerings and continuing favorites. Please take the time to look at the offerings included and see where you might best engage. We will resume in-person worship at some point when it is safer to do so, so stay tuned for that. We have a brand-new website that will further facilitate our new ways of gathering and being the church, even while we are dispersed throughout our city and beyond! Make sure you are signed up for the eNews and checking in regularly as things are ever-changing. Our program year kick-off will look a bit different, but I’m looking forward to what we have lined up. Instead of Homecoming Sunday this year, we will use August 30 as Home Gathering Sunday. We will have special offerings to bless our homes as the place where our worship is taking place. Our choir will unveil its first virtual choir offering, which will be a wonderful blessing.
210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
The music program will continue to offer Second Sunday St. Cecilia offerings streamed with high quality recitals. September will feature harpist Ayren Huslig from Austin. October will highlight our own Lydia Beasley and Samuel Gaskin. Our outreach will continue in the city. We will highlight our specific outreach partners’ needs, interacting with new partners while continuing to deepen familiar relationships, including Communities in Schools and Crockett Academy. I am grateful for each one of you, and do so look forward to our being with one another again. Meanwhile, remember that each one of you is a vital part of our community. We rely on your prayers and your gifts to sustain our ministry in these times. We are still doing important outreach in our city as we Feed San Antonio with the Bread of Life. Please be in touch if you have any questions. I miss you all more than I can ever communicate in words, but I trust that God continues to gather us as the holy people of God. Peace,
The Rev. Elizabeth Knowlton
@stmarkssa
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HOME GATHERING SUNDAY Sunday, August 30 10.00am Holy Eucharist, Rite II 11.15am Homegathering Zoom
It’s a custom at St. Mark’s to launch the return of the program year--with its new opportunities for formation, musical engagement, fellowship and connection, and meaningful worship--through a kickoff Sunday. This year, meet Home Gathering Sunday: spirited worship, joyful music, and an opportunity to bless the spaces we are worshiping in...our homes! This Home Gathering liturgy, hosted on Zoom and facilitated by members in various ministry areas, will lead us through a blessing of the spaces in our homes, with prayers for the places and the holy work (life!) that happens there.
SEPTEMBER Wednesday, 9/2 Sunday, 9/6 Wednesday, 9/9 Thursday, 9/10 Friday, 9/11 Sunday, 9/13 Sunday, 9/20 Sunday, 9/27
4.30pm 5.30pm 6.00pm 4.30pm 5.15pm 5.00pm 6.30pm 6.30pm 9.00am 9.15am 6.00pm 7.00pm 6.00pm 8.00pm
Middle School Youth Group, meets weekly on Zoom High School Youth Group, meets weekly on Zoom Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram Boy & Girl Choir Novices, meets weekly on Zoom Junior Choristers, meets weekly on Zoom Treble & Youth Choir practice, meets weekly on Zoom Adult Choir meets weekly on Zoom Mind the Gap September Zoom Symposium Formation for Adults begins on Zoom Children’s Sunday School Zoom Check-In Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram St. Cecilia Series presents: Ayren Huslig on Facebook Live and the website Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram Youth Sunday Night Live on Zoom
Sunday, 10/4 9.15am Children’s Lemonade Hour on Zoom 10.00am Morning Prayer with Blessing of the Animals Liturgy on Facebook Live and the website 6.00pm Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram Friday, 10/9 6.30pm Mind the Gap October Zoom Symposium Sunday, 10/11 6.00pm Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram 7.00pm St. Cecilia Series presents: Lydia Beasley on Facebook Live and the website Wednesday, 10/15 6.00pm Pregnancy and Infant Loss Zoom Liturgy Sunday, 10/18 11.15am Newcomer Zoom Gathering 6.00pm Youth Sunday Night Prayers on Instagram Sunday, 10/25 8.00pm Youth Sunday Night Live on Zoom Wednesday, 10/28 6.30pm Blessing of the Costumes on Zoom
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210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
CALENDAR
OCTOBER
ONLINE WORSHIP
Throughout the pandemic, we have received wonderful and positive feedback regarding the online liturgies we’ve been offering. These services have kept us connected and praying together, feeding our souls in ways we did not expect, and nurturing our whole community. Through these services we’ve also had the privilege of worshiping with folks from all over the country, and even with some former members of St. Mark’s who have moved away from San Antonio. In the months to come, we will continue to worship as a community online with the following schedule:
Weekdays
Morning Prayer Monday – Friday | 8.30am on Facebook Live Compline Monday – Friday | 7.00pm on Facebook Live
Sunday Mornings Holy Eucharist, Rite II 1st Sunday of each month | 10.00am on Facebook Live or the website (using the prayer for Spiritual Reception) Morning Prayer Subsequent Sundays each month | 10.00am on Facebook Live or the website
SPECIAL LITURGIES
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 4 Many in the Christian tradition commemorate and celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4, and St. Mark’s celebrates this feast day with a blessing of the animals each year. Our 10.00am liturgy of Morning Prayer (airing on Facebook Live and the website) will include our beloved blessing of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, creepy crawlies, stuffed animals, and any other furry or scaly creatures you have at home. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us online with your four (or more) legged family members.
MUSIC
The Adult Choir will continue to meet on Thursdays at 6.30pm on Zoom. The children and youth choirs will begin meeting on Wednesday, September 9.
St. Cecilia Series
The St. Cecilia Series will offer two concerts on Facebook Live and the website in September and October: Ayren Huslig, harp Sunday, September 13 | 7.00pm Ayren Huslig is a professional freelance harpist in Austin, Texas. She has performed with many orchestras in Texas and throughout the Midwest. Since having children, Ayren has focused most of her time playing inside the state of Texas and building a harp program in the Eanes School District in West Austin. Ayren has taught and performed at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan for fifteen years. Additionally, she teaches private lessons and a daily class of harp ensemble at a local high school. Ayren’s harp recital will include works by Bernard Andres, Felix Godefroid, and G.F. Handel. Lydia Beasley, soprano; Samuel Gaskin, accompanist Sunday, October 11 | 7.00pm Lydia Beasley and Samuel Gaskin present “Letters”, an art song recital comprised of letters of love, familial connection, and a war-time farewell. Featured in the recital will be Songs from Letters: Calamity Jane to her daughter Janey, 1880-1902, a song cycle by American composer Libby Larsen.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss
Wednesday, October 15 The loss of an anticipated child tumbles us from joyful expectation of new life into grief and sorrow. This online liturgy is meant to welcome those who have suffered loss in this tender realm, to make space for lament, to pour out grief to God who hears and comforts us.
210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
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ADULT CLASSES
Reflection and Action
Ongoing Weekday Bible Studies
Sacred Ground: A Film-Based Dialogue Series on Race and Faith - Register Online Led by the St. Mark’s Clergy This film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith invites participants to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
As we creatively live into our Core Vocation of feeding those who are hungry for knowledge and meaning, we are delighted to offer a robust schedule of formation and spiritually deepening classes, bible studies, and small groups throughout the fall. Each of these offerings will take place online.
Mid-week with the Mystics Wednesdays, beginning September 16 | 12.001.00pm Led by The Rev. Elizabeth Knowlton Spend some of your lunch hour each Wednesday learning from the work and life of Christian Mystics.
The Rector’s Lectionary Bible Study Mondays | 7.00-8.00am Led by The Rev. Elizabeth Knowlton This study takes an in-depth look at the texts assigned for the coming Sunday, usually focusing on the Gospel reading. Pauline Letter Study Wednesdays | 6.30-7.30pm Led by The Rev. Elizabeth Knowlton Having just completed the Acts of the Apostles, the class will be studying the theology of Paul and several of the letters, starting with Galatians, Philippians, and Romans.
This class is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society.
Time Out Bible Study Thursdays | 10.00-11.15am Led by The Rev. Ann Benton Fraser & The Rev. Matthew Wise This close-reading study group will tackle two scriptural studies this fall: A Look at the Minor Prophets (continuing into early fall) and The Parables of Jesus (later in the fall).
Participants are asked to commit to all 10 sessions, 5 of which will take place this fall, and 5 in the spring. Dates and times offered will be based on registrations and preferences of participants. If you would like to participate in this class, please fill out an online interest form on the Adult Classes page of the website so that we can be in touch with you.
Sunday Mornings
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210-226-2426
ADULT CLASSES
The Way of Love September 13 – October 25 | 9.00-9.50am Led by St. Mark’s Clergy with special guests The Rev. Mary Earle, The Rev. Dr. John Lewis, The Rev. Dr. Jane Patterson, and Br. James Dennis Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has outlined these seven practices in living out Jesus’ way of love and commended the whole Episcopal Church to engage them: TURN, LEARN, PRAY, WORSHIP, BLESS, GO, and REST. This class will explore each of the practices offering some practical applications.
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
BLESSING OF THE COSTUMES Wednesday, October 28 6.30-7.30pm on Zoom
From games and parades through the parish house, to table-side “trunk” or treating with many of our ministries at the Radius, the Blessing of the Costumes has been through many different iterations but has also become one of our most beloved fall activities for the whole parish. This year will be no different – we’ll gather, play, laugh, sing, and bless costumes online. We are already hard at work creating a new, interactive, online version of this joyful celebration. So, please mark your calendars, and prepare your costumes for this intergenerational evening!
CHILDREN
This fall we have exciting program offerings that we hope you and your children will enjoy. On the first and third Sundays of each month, we will offer Children’s Chapel, and on the second and fourth Sundays, we will offer Godly Play. These offerings are available on the Children’s page of the website. Join us for Storytime with Ms. Cathy, Lemonade Hour, and Sunday School Check-In. Visit the Children’s page of the website for more information!
YOUTH
Youth Group will resume on Wednesday, 9/2. Visit the Youth page of the website for more information!
Harry Potter and the Bible
Our Christian faith and the Bible do not live in a vacuum, they have a lot to say about the culture we interact with on a daily basis, and in particular with the books, movies, and music that introduce meaningful stories in our lives. We can find Christian themes in this media that will deepen and strengthen our faith by asking questions. So first, we will take a look at Harry Potter and the Bible. This video series will premier weekly starting September 9.
Sacred Ground for Youth, College Students, and Young Adults
COMMUNITY
This film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith, invites participants to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. A sneak preview of the course will be held for youth and college students on August 25 at 6.00pm if you would like to learn more. Sign up for the preview on the Youth page of the website.
210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
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YOUNG ADULTS
MENTAL HEALTH OFFERINGS
2nd Friday of Each Month | 6.30pm-9.00pm Symposium provides time for fellowship as the group virtually eats dinner together via Zoom and then shifts into a time of teaching and discussion. Once safe to do so again, the group will resume “Sunday Lunch Socials” once a month at local restaurants. For more information about this group, please email The Rev. Matthew Wise (mwise@stmarks-sa.org).
Did you know that 15 minutes a day spent connecting with others has a known impact on our mental well-being? The St. Mark’s working group on mental health seeks to foster understanding of mental health stressors, offer tools for coping and resilience, and build a community in which all persons can heal and thrive. Look for insights and opportunities this fall that benefit your well-being, and that of your neighbor.
COFFEE HOUR
For more information on any of these offerings, please visit our website - www.stmarks-sa.org.
Mind the Gap Symposium
FELLOWSHIP
Sundays | 11.15am Enjoy a bit of fellowship and catching up with fellow parishioners in this casual gathering, Sundays after worship. Your clergy host will be present to welcome you and visit, before sending those gathered into smaller groups for conversation. Reflect on your week, see familiar faces, and get to know others who are part of the St. Mark’s community.
Coffee Hour on Zoom
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210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa
PERIODICAL
ZOOM
Please register on the website for each of the bible studies and/or classes you wish to participate in to receive the Zoom link and password. In this way we can prevent unwanted “Zoom bombers.”
NEW WEBSITE!
Visit our new and improved website - www.stmarks-sa. org. This new look will make finding classes, events, and worship services easier.
#WeAreTheChurch
Are you wondering what #WeAreTheChurch means? Hopefully you have received your yard sign and noticed it on there as well! We are using the hashtag #WeAreTheChurch on our social media accounts, Facebook and Instagram, to remind us while we are not gathering in our building, that we, the community of St. Mark’s, are the Church. Please use this hashtag #WeAreTheChurch when posting about St. Mark’s on your personal social media accounts!
PHOTO CREDITS
Cover photo: Eric Nelson Photos in this issue provided by: Rachel Dugger, Elizabeth Herrera, Ryan Holt, Beth Knowlton, Eric Nelson
210-226-2426
stmarks-sa.org
@stmarkssa